Growing up in my childhood home, there was always bolognese sauce slowly simmering on Sunday mornings. My mother would slow simmer it all day long, and we would always sneak a scoop or two at the halfway cooking point so we could wipe up some thick, crunchy Italian bread with it. That could have been a meal all on its own. My boys love when I make Sunday sauce – as we called it in my childhood home and or probably every other Italian home!
Even though I can no longer indulge in this delicious thick sauce, due to my immune issues, there’s no reason to deprive Paul and the boys. I use my own homemade tomato sauce, which I make from organic, local tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs, local pasture-raised ground beef, and tons of veggies. As a parent of two picky eaters, I like to sneak those greens in anywhere I can.
I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef – pasture raised if possible *you can also use chicken, turkey, or a mixture*
32 oz homemade tomato sauce *you can also use store bought if you don’t have homemade*
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup bone broth or stock
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 pasture-raised milk
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 kale leaves, roughly chopped
A handful or two of spinach
Bunch of parsley
2-3 basil leaves
Sprig of fresh rosemary & thyme
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Parmesan Cheese rind *optional*
Pink Himalayan sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon of love
Directions:
- In the jar of a 12 cup food processor, finely chop vegetables.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sautee vegetables in coconut oil for 5-10 minutes. Season with a pinch of pink salt.
- Add in and cook ground meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it is browned.
- Deglaze your saucepan with the wine and reduce the heat until the liquid is almost dry.
- Add in the tomato paste, sauce and bone broth, stir to combine the vegetables, meat, and liquids.
- Add in your fresh herbs, pepper flakes, and parmesan rind.
- Reduce heat to low and cover saucepan. Stirring the occasionally while it simmers. I like to stir my sauce every 30 – 45 minutes. I also love to allow my sauce to simmer on low heat for at least 6-8 hours. The longer the sauce simmers, the better it tastes.
- Once the sauce has simmered, for the minimum amount of time, add in milk and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
*if you do not have the luxury of simmering your sauce for this long. Simmer sauce for 1 hour with the lid on, then add milk and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. - Enjoy over a massive bowl of pasta with a mountain of grated parmesan cheese!